

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leroy Hite.
Hi Leroy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Fire is raw, beautiful and engages people in a very primal way. From the 3-year-old little girl in Georgia to the 83-year-old man in Uganda – people were made to enjoy the flame and the warmth as they gather around it. From my childhood to now, I have always loved building a fire. In college, I created a firewood company as part of my school’s entrepreneurial program. I am passionate about building the perfect fire and I was called to work in this industry. I knew there had to be alternatives to buying the moldy, pest-ridden wood from the little bags at the convenience store or grocery stores and that’s what I set out to do. I saw an opportunity to be a different kind of firewood source and created Cutting Edge to provide the best firewood experience possible.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Since Cutting Edge has completely disrupted the firewood industry, everything we do, we are the first company to do it. So, we often must learn things the hard way. I look at mistakes as lessons on how to grow, I just never want to make the same mistake twice. One notable turning point came in 2017 when I realized that we needed more capital to take the business to the next level. I went to my wife and said “I know that we have two young girls at home and that you are eight months pregnant with our 3rd daughter, but let’s sell the house and invest it in the business”. This is exactly what we did. That is when the business really started to feel like a startup with huge opportunities and took off.
We’ve been impressed with Cutting Edge Firewood, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Cutting Edge Firewood offers the best firewood and cooking wood. Period. We hand-select all hardwood species for our firewood and cooking wood. We then put our wood through an exclusive drying process so that it is dry, mold-free, pest-free and offers the absolute best experience. We package our firewood in boxes or in beautiful patent-protected air brushed racks for delivery. Our cooking wood comes in a variety of cuts and firewood species and is also packaged in beautiful boxes.
Beyond our products, Cutting Edge has unparalleled customer service, from the first point of contact to the delivery of our wood. In Atlanta, Nashville, Greenville and Charlotte – we have delivery artisans that deliver our boxes and racks of wood to the exact location a homeowner desires inside or out. We ship to the lower 48 US states, and our boxes include everything a homeowner needs to start and maintain a beautiful fire. You can find a complete listing of our products on our website.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I would say that there is no substitute for hard work. You have to work smart and hard. You have to have something that gets you through the hardest times. For me, I knew this was my God-given calling. In the early days of the company, the success or failure of the company was all on my shoulders and I put in some grueling weeks, months and years. But for me, there was no alternative. So now, there is a common theme in my favorite quotes that I often share with my employees to encourage them. They all stress the benefit of hard work:
“Hard work spotlights the character of people. Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all. – Sam Ewing
“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” — Estee Lauder
“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do” – Carl Jung
Pricing:
- Our offerings include boxes and racks of unmatched hardwood firewood and cooking woods. – Our firewood boxes are $59 and include everything needed to build up to 4 fires: matches, firestarter, kindling and wood. – Our firewood racks are priced between $245 and $299 and include everything needed to build up to 25 fires. – Our standard cooking wood boxes are $49 to $79 (depending on species), but we also offer various cuts of woods for different grills and smokers, logs and splits. Plus, we have wood cut specially for both large wood-fired pizza ovens and mini pizza ovens.
- Firewood boxes: $59
- Firewood racks: $245 to $299
- Cooking wood boxes: $49 to $79
Contact Info:
- Email: service@cuttingedgefirewood.com
- Website: https://www.cuttingedgefirewood.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutting.edge.firewood
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cuttingedgefirewood
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9xwEZZK9_R5LLnVf2urrzA
Image Credits
All images courtesy of Cutting Edge Firewood